Despite discomfort, Jon Lester's next Red Sox start looks safe

Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester has averaged more than 200 innings per year since 2008.Associated Press

BOSTON – In April, the tandem of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz looked like Koufax-Drysdale or Maddux-Glavine, a 1-2 punch that pushed the Red Sox to the top of their division.

Buchholz has been out for three weeks with a mysterious neck injury. When Lester limped off the mound in the eighth inning of Thursday night's 7-4 win over Toronto, alarm bells went off from every corner of Red Sox Nation.

Manager John Farrell said Friday there is no need to panic.

"Jon came in (Friday) and checked in as he would any other day after a start,'' Farrell said at Fenway Park.

"He does get the benefit of an extra day of rest between starts. We fully expect him to be on the mound next week against San Diego.''
Lester slipped after a pitch Thursday and jammed his hip. The left-hander said he experienced "a zinging sensation down my leg ... it's something I've had before.''

The hip problem that curtailed Thursday's start after seven-plus innings and 94 pitches is not a new condition. Whether that should comfort Red Sox fans is left to the eye of the beholder.

It is a reminder that the 29-year-old Lester, who won his second straight start after going 0-4 in his previous six, is not getting any younger.

As pitchers who came up through the system at more or less the same time, Lester and Buchholz are often linked in Red Sox discussions. But Lester, who made between 31 and 33 starts in each of the last five years – and leads the AL with 17 – has been far more durable.

That could be having an effect on Lester, who won his first six decisions and is now 8-4.

"You rack up six or seven years, and the body can take only so much. But it's also important to say we're not dealing with a damaged situation,'' Farrell said.

That is why the Red Sox do not see the need for either advanced medical treatment or an alteration of training routine. Rather, Farrell thinks consistency of delivery is the key.

When Lester throws across his body, "He'll pinch it at times,'' the manager said. Other signs, notably range of motion, remain all positive.

Nonetheless, when Lester said the feeling was "like a shooting pain down your leg,'' Red Sox fans could hardly be blamed for worrying. Buchholz's neck stiffness was treated as a minor issue, too, in the days following his last start June 8.

Not until 10 days later was he placed on the disabled list. Buchholz expects to throw this weekend, but his return to competition is undetermined, and he will probably need at least one rehab start first.

If both Lester and Buchholz are sidelined, asking even this resourceful team to maintain its division lead is asking a lot. Farrell said there is no need to worry about that with Lester.

With Monday's off day factored in, his next start would be Wednesday against San Diego. That's the plan – at least for now.